Kishanganga project: Pak meeting with World Bank kicks off

WASHINGTON: The three-day water talks between the World Bank (WB) and Pakistan began here on Monday to discuss the Indian violations of the Indus Water Treaty.

A four-member delegation led by Attorney General of Pakistan, Ashtar Ausaf reached the World Bank head office to apprise the Bank’s president about the country’s concerns over more than a dozen projects that India intends to complete along the Indus Basin.

Pakistan maintains that these projects will disrupt its water supplies, and insists that the design of Kishanganga Hydel is not in line with the criteria laid down under the Treaty. Pakistan's ambassador to the US, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, told media on Saturday that its Foreign Ministry has suggested changes in the basic design to avoid Treaty violations but their proposals were ignored.

The Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kishaganga plant on Saturday. Pakistan wants the World Bank to play its role as a mediator. Its Foreign Office on Friday also voiced concerns, saying the inauguration without resolution of the dispute between the two countries is tantamount to violation of the Indus Waters Treaty that regulates the use of waters in shared rivers. The delegation intends to go beyond discussing the Kishanganga and hopes that the financial institution will also address Pakistan' concerns about Ratle and other Indian projects.